ASDA News

The show goes on

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Every piece of media has its lifespan, and the ASDA Blog is no exception. This entry is the final ASDA Blog post. The ASDA Editorial Board will now solely focus on Contour magazine.

When I was in high school, I used to listen to The Bugle podcast hosted by Andy Zalzman and John Oliver. When Oliver’s HBO show Last Week Tonight blew up, episodes of The Bugle grew increasingly scarce, until one day they announced they would discontinue the show. I felt devastated.

But the show survived in reality and in spirit. Years later, Zaltzman revived The Bugle, which he and rotating guests host. The Bugle also exists in spirit on Oliver’s show. The biting satire that made The Bugle so outrageous now permeates throughout the long rants on Last Week Tonight. The shows may have changed, but the people who made them have not.

Advocacy

Creating your Election Day roadmap

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It is that time of year again: the leaves are changing color, pumpkin-flavored lattes are back in stock and you’re inundated with political ads from all directions. This November you have the opportunity to cast your vote and participate in the hard-fought civic duty we call “the election system.”

Whether you’re a political novice or a die-hard political activist, your votes are worth the same. Here is how I research candidates and prepare to cast my vote on or before Nov. 8.

Outreach, Student Spotlight

A dental quest among the Lakota

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A little-known but admirable outreach program for dentists, hygienists and dental students is the St. Francis Mission Among The Lakota Dental Clinic in South Dakota. Situated just inside the western border of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, the clinic offers free dental care to the Lakota people. For nine years, the clinic has been serving those in high need of dental care.

When I started dental school at the University at Buffalo, my father and I made a pact that we would do an outreach trip together if we got the opportunity. My father, Dr. Michael Romano, is a general dentist in Liverpool, New York, and a 1985 graduate of UBSDM. Toward the end of my third year, my father read an article about the dental clinic at Rosebud Indian Reservation in the American Dental Association monthly newspaper. It seemed like the perfect opportunity since the clinic is run solely by volunteer dentists across the country.

Outreach

Buffalo delivers ‘good news to the poor’ in Sierra Leone

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I recall the day after I returned from a week-long dental mission trip in Sierra Leone, a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. I was walking to work in New York City. For a moment, it felt like I’d never been to Kono, a district in Sierra Leone’s war-torn eastern province. I’m living in a city with tons of restaurants and bakeries around me. I’ve never worried about having enough water or electricity becoming a luxury product.

But I was there, along with a faculty member, an assistant and five classmates from Buffalo. We left behind our love, hope and positive energies to the locals of Kono.

Career Compass, Wellness

Infection prevention and control advice – Part 2

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We continue the second part of this two-part series focusing on dental infection prevention and patient and provider safety. Dr. Teresa J. Irizarry and Dr. Ana López Fuentes, who help oversee infection control protocol at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus’ dental clinic, discuss infection control protocol changes, who is ultimately responsible for infection control and whether anything will change because of Monkeypox.

Career Compass, Wellness

Infection prevention and control advice – Part 1

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During the month of September we celebrate many special occasions such as the National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 4-10) and International Chocolate Day (Sept 13). We also celebrate Dental Infection Control Awareness Month throughout September.

This year’s #DICAM22 theme is “Staying in the Know Together”. Therefore, I’m sharing the knowledge and opinions of Dr. Teresa J. Irizarry and Dr. Ana López Fuentes, members of a committee that oversees infection control protocol at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus’ dental clinic. I interviewed them because of their rigorous training and experience in Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention, an association for oral health care professionals that focuses on dental infection prevention and patient and provider safety.